Solar energy company plans to hire 200 in Jasper County

A Virginia-based energy company is looking to invest $100 million in Jasper County before the year is out.

Dominion, which owns Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission, announced plans on Monday for two solar energy projects near Ridgeland to be completed and operational in 2017, according to a company news release. The company plans to build a 71.4-megawatt facility and a 10-megawatt array which will sit on about 900 acres and 80 acres, respectively.

The amount of energy harnessed by the projects is “expected to generate enough electricity to supply approximately 15,000 typical homes on an average annual basis,” according to an Area Development article. The endeavor is expected to create about 200 jobs during construction, according to the release.

“Dominion is excited to work with a number of partners — including Solvay and South Carolina Electric & Gas — not only to bring additional non-carbon-emitting solar generation to the power grid but also to add to our South Carolina energy infrastructure portfolio,” said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Dominion.

SCE&G has signed on to purchase the electricity for both projects, and Solvay, an international chemicals and advanced materials company, will purchase the renewable energy credits for the larger facility for 15 years, according to the release.

“Utility-scale solar represents the least-cost approach to solar energy and provides clean energy for our state,” said Danny Kassis, vice president of Customer Relations and Renewable Energy for SCE&G. “The Jasper County solar projects demonstrate the continuing emergence of solar energy as a resource that can supplement reliable, resilient, and safe service that customers in South Carolina need to grow our economy.”

“This new agreement will help us reduce our CO2 intensity, one of Solvay’s main sustainability goals,” Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, chief executive officer of Solvay, said. “It enables the development of additional renewable energy capacity in a region where we have a significant presence and allows us to better serve customer expectations through sustainability.”

Dominion acquired the developments from Adger Solar in November 2016, according to the release.

“Jasper County is showing South Carolina that large-scale solar can be built and sustained in all 46 counties across the Palmetto State,” said Bill Moore, principal of Adger Solar. “Adger Solar has been working in South Carolina since 2014, and we have over a half-dozen large-scale solar projects underway. These projects will provide new jobs to the local communities, tax revenue to the counties and clean power to the citizens and companies of this state. We are pleased to be part of the emerging solar energy industry during this exciting time in South Carolina.”

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Solar energy company plans to hire 200 in Jasper County."